Scattered Dreams
by Quathis
Summary: A late night visit sends the Uzumaki family on an adventure of universal significance. Sugessted that you read Dream Big and Dreams Live On to better understand this story.
1. Frayed Rope

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is just for fun and not for profit.

Summary: An attack by an old enemy leads Naruto and his family on a new adventure. Part of the Dreams Universe Futurefic NaruSaku

Author's note: It's recommended to read the first two stories from the Dream Universe so this won't confuse you. For those of you who've been waiting for this, it took a long time to get it the way I wanted it. This will be an epic.

"What" speaking

'_What'_ thinking

"**What"** Jutsu spoken

**Scattered Dreams**

A pair of tired green eyes opened slightly as Uzumaki Sakura realized her husband was no longer in bed with her. She found his shadowed form in the dim light beside their bed. He was wearing his white trench coat with the orange flames at the bottom, similar to the one his father, the Yondaime, was famous for wearing. On the back of the trench coat was the kanji for family. Under the trench coat, he was wearing blue sweatpants and a green t-shirt.

"What is it dear?" her tired whisper demanded to know why her slumber was being interrupted.

"Just need to check something out downstairs. Nothing to worry about," his own whisper did little to calm her, since his state of dress showed that he was thinking something _was_ wrong. The seals in that jacket held more surprises than Kankuro's puppets, and the house's master security seal as well. Sakura rolled out of bed silently and grabbed her own white jacket with red flames, the same shade as her old genin outfit, and pulled it over her pajamas. By the time she'd turned around, Naruto was already gone.

"Oh, he is going to get it for not waiting." With narrowed eyes, the Uzumaki matriarch stalked silently down the hall after her over-protective husband. He could take an explosive note going off in his face without fliching, but the thought of his family getting hurt set him off like a firecracker. _'Some Hokage,'_ her indignation kept building with each step.

As she walked, Sakura noticed that two of the middle kids' doors were open though the lights were still out. Probably down in the kitchen getting a midnight snack, as was their habit after a hard day. '_Though they have different definitions of hard.'_ Sakura thought with a smile.

Her oldest son Arashi was very physical and enjoyed talking with people, especially the young ladies. Her middle daughter Kora was an introverted thinker whose only passion was reading. They didn't get along very well when left alone, but would be tolerant when they were with family or they both had food in front of them. Sakura thanked whatever deity gave those two their father's focus when it came to eating. Their midnight food raids were the only times they got along by themselves.

Halfway down the steps Sakura heard quiet voices in the living room and took slower, quieter steps so she could hear what was being said. She made out someone with a gruff voice saying Naruto's name followed by maniacal laughter. At the same moment she sensed a huge spike of chakra, Sakura clearly heard her husband cry out "No!" and felt his chakra spike as well. Less than a second later, she was thrown against the wall as a wave of energy blindsided her and she collapse to the ground with a groan. She picked herself up shakily, and felt something pull at her, like a current of water or a strong wind. A bright flash of rainbow lights was followed by darkness as she lost consciousness.

* * *

She became aware of people shouting, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Their voices sounded muffled for some reason. It felt like she was being moved, but Sakura had no idea where she was going or who was taking her there. Blackness claimed her again.

* * *

When the medic ninja awoke the second time she took stock of her body. 

It felt numb and her eyes wouldn't open.

Her chakra system felt like Hinata went to town on it.

She realized that her hearing was fine and could hear her own labored breathing.

Couldn't get an accurate read on anything else, so it was time for the medic to begin healing herself.

Getting breathing under control was her first priority. Deep breaths in and out with increasing control until Sakura felt her breath smoothly flow through her body.

After that she got her chakra to focus on the medic portion of the Uzumaki family seal located on her abdomen, activating as much as she could, hoping the stored medical chakra would start restoring her body to full capacity. The feeling of soothing healing chakra trickled out and helped return feeling to her body.

She could now feel that her hands and feet were bound, not uncomfortably, to the bed. Either she was in enemy hands or she was considered a danger to those taking care of her. Though the IV in her right arm suggested that they, whoever they were, wanted her alive.

Eventually she pried her eyelids back and surveyed where she was. Her first thought suggested hospital due to the bare white ceiling. The smell of antiseptic confirmed this hypothesis. Her green eyes looked around as best they could with her body still immobile. More bare white surfaces and a curtain separating her from half the room gave further credence that she was in a hospital room. The part that made the Chief Medic Ninja (CMN) of the Village Hidden in the Leaves fearful was that this didn't look like any room in her hospital, which she knew as well as her own home. So that meant she'd somehow been taken out of her house and transported to another village. _'How long was I unconscious?'_

"Ah, you're awake. Maybe now we can get some answers," a familiar voice came from the direction of the foot of her bed but sense her neck muscles weren't cooperating, she couldn't see who it was. Muted footsteps could be heard and dark hair came into view followed by a smiling and surprisingly familiar face. It took Sakura a moment to realize she was looking at Shizune. She realized that her problem identifying the longtime family friend came from the fact that the traces of gray in her hair and the wrinkles on her face were gone. This puzzled Sakura because Shizune never struck her as a vain person who would use a genjutsu to disguise her age.

Her immediate thought was that she was caught in a type of Genjutsu, perhaps making her think she was safe by showing a friendly face. With most of her attention of recovery, Sakura hadn't been able to check her surroundings for danger. Even now when she tried to find it, whatever Genjutsu was being used eluded her detection. Her genjutsu sense must still be down, along with most of her motor control.

"Sorry about the restraints, but until we know who you are we have to take precautions. Since the invasion we've really had to tighten security around the whole village, especially people who appear of nowhere wearing pajamas and _that_ trench coat."

Sakura heard a catch in young-Shizune's voice at the last part and wondered what it meant. The mention of an invasion also seemed odd since nobody had invaded another country in 8 years, after Cloud's failed attempt at taking over the Mist Village. The more Sakura thought, the more things failed to add up. Unfortunately, her body was still unable to ask a simple question, so she decided to just be silent and learn what she could. The seal was still pumping out steadily increasing amounts of healing chakra, and by her estimate, she should be able to talk within a minute or two. Hopefully then she could get some answers from this pseudo-Shizune.

The door opened and Sakura received another shock as her former teacher Tsunade of the Sannin proudly strode into view, exactly as she had been when Sakura had asked for training. Her pink eyebrows came together as she felt a bit insulted that whoever did this would make such an obvious mistake. Tsunade had been gone for ten years, and given the public nature of her funeral, no one should have made this amateurish error. The analytical part of her mind kept saying this was an illusion while the more intuitive side of argued that this was her old teacher.

Again, she believed this inner conflict was due to the trauma she was recovering from.

Sakura felt a nudge to her shoulder and realized that the false Tsunade and Shizune were trying to get her attention. She could feel her muscles begin to twitch and hoped that her jaw would recover soon so she could talk with them. Once they were sure she was paying attention, Tsunade began speaking.

"Welcome to Konoha. I'm Tsunade and this is Shizune my assistant. I have some questions for you when you feel ready to answer them."

Eyes closed, Sakura checked to see if her mouth was working and when she found that it did, bit down hard on her lower lip while suppressing her chakra to almost nothing. _'If that didn't dispel the Genjutsu, then something other than an enemy capture is going on here.' _As she slowly opened her eyes, Tsunade and Shizune were still there and were looking at her like she was insane.

"What was that all about?" Tsunade's commanding voice brought back memories Sakura couldn't afford to indulge in at the moment. Blinking back tears of pain and loss, Sakura just shook her head and didn't say anything. Tsunade didn't look happy with that answer and repeated the question, this time with more force and authority.

Sakura still didn't respond, consumed by this maddening confusion. _'What is going on? This shouldn't be possible, but I know that this isn't Genjutsu.'_ Looking at the apparently real Tsunade getting angrier by the second, Sakura decided that getting on the short tempered woman's good side would be best for now.

"Sorry about that," Sakura croaked out, "Can I get some water, please?"

"Here," Shizune produced a glass of water from a desk near the bed.

"Thank you." After wetting her mouth Sakura tried again. "I'll try to answer your question now."

"Thank you," Tsunade's tone held more than a little sarcasm and irritation. "First off, I want to know where you came from. As Shinzune said, you just seemed to pop out of nowhere."

Sakura took a calming breath, "I am from Konoha, and the last thing I remember was that I was going to help my husband with some trouble and then I ended up here."

Tsunade looked puzzled and asked her next question, "Who was your husband?"

Deciding that names might complicate matters, Sakura responded,"The Hokage."

Now Tsunade looked intrigued, and turned to Shizune and whispered something to Shizune. All Sakura could make out was "old pervert" and assumed that she was talking about Jiraiya, as her Tsunade often referred to him as such. Shizune rushed out of the room, wasting no time completing whatever task her sensei gave her.

Once Shizune was gone, Sakura noticed that Tsunade was smiling, and it wasn't her nice smile. This was the "Oh $#$&, I'm going to die!!" smile. The still weak kunoichi prayed she wasn't the target of said smile.

"One last question then you can rest; you wouldn't happen to have a blond, blued eyed son would you?" Tsunade's voice was now smothered in enough sugar and honey to make Choji gag.

Sakura couldn't keep the surprise off of her face and responded that she did. Tsunade smirked and thanked her and left a very confused woman to wonder how the older woman knew about Arashi.

* * *

After regaining all her body control, Sakura began to focus her senses to see what was going on outside. She easily picked up the panicked voices of medical ninja saying something about how skinny someone looked now. Sakura guessed that someone decided to starve themselves to get a thinner body and neglected their health. It didn't happen too often, but when it did it wasn't pretty. 

Later, she heard about a seriously injured genin who had lost a lot of blood. Something about the order of those two patients was nagging at her mind. Some half forgotten story someone had told her. She just couldn't remember what it was about.

Realization came when someone said something to the effect that it was the demon brat's fault the Uchiha left.

She had gone back to when Sasuke defected to the Sound Village! She wasn't sure how it had happened exactly but she was in the past, and Naruto and Sasuke were probably fighting right now in the Valley of the End.

The restraints could do little to keep her here with her strength returned and her trench coat was easily summoned to her hand (one of Naruto's special touches to the attire). Sakura half flew in the direction that the Sound Four had taken and was forced to stop.

Apparently the fight was already over because down on the trail was a chibi version of her husband, half dragging half carrying his best friend/rival back to the village. He was bloodied and his clothes were torn, but he still had that same big grin on his tanned face.

Sakura hid in the trees, far enough not to be seen but close enough to act in it was needed. She noticed with a smile that her younger self was waiting at the gate to welcome her teammates home. This was different than what she remembered, but it certainly was a pleasant change.

Her smile turned to a horrified gasp as her younger self viciously slapped the younger Naruto, making him drop his human luggage. The older Sakura didn't know what was happening, why was her younger self doing that to Naruto? And why didn't she remember any of this? Wasn't this her past?

As the older version of Haruno Sakura was shocked by these new developments, the younger one slapped Naruto again. The sound brought the displaced mother back to reality and she felt those maternal instincts start screaming.

Her eyes narrowed as her counterpart raised her hand to slap her whiskered teammate yet again.

_'I don't think so.'_

* * *

A/N: Well, there's the start of another story. Please let me know what you think.

I will also be starting another story soon, an AU entitled, "The Legend of the Winged Fox."


	2. Mother and Siblings

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is just for fun and not for profit.

Summary: An attack by an old enemy leads Naruto and his family on a new adventure. Part of the Dreams Universe Futurefic NaruSaku

**Note: Naruto and Sakura's oldest daughter and son's names have changed to Kushina and Minato respectively. They were intended to match the names of Naruto's parents, which I've learned since writing the last chapter. **

**Scattered Dreams**

The scene that greeted Hatake Kakashi as he returned to his home village filled him with disappointment and shame as a teacher. One of his students was assaulting another, and she showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. He had already started moving when a woman with long hair that was half a shade darker than Sakura's swooped in and caught the girl's wrist in a firm grip.

Normally, Kakashi was very sure-footed, but seeing someone moving that fast with that coat caused the great Copy Ninja to stumble before flickering to his students' sides. His curiosity was pricked when he saw the woman's flashing green eyes and looked at the other pink haired person in front of him and saw many similarities. He did notice that the older woman had veteran eyes, too knowledgeable for anyone other than those who had seen death far too many times.

"Excuse me, could you release my student so I can have a talk with her?" he asked pleasantly as he'd learned (the hard way) that manners go a long way to calming an angry woman.

Her eyes finally looked at him, though he could tell she'd been watching him before that. "Do you teach all your students to attack wounded comrades?" The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at the cold venom in her voice.

Kakashi adopted a more serious air, and looked at her eyes with his one visible one. He quietly answered, "No, I don't. The first thing I tried to teach them was teamwork. It seems that lesson needs to be retaught." There was something about this mysterious woman that was both familiar and so different at the same time.

"Here." She pushed the now terrified kunoichi to her sensei and turned to the bloody Naruto. "Let's get you to the hospital, shall we?" The abrupt change to tenderness and caring made everyone look at her in surprise. Naruto nodded silently and she quickly but gently scooped up Sasuke and turned so the conscious boy could get on her back. "Hop on."

Kakashi didn't feel the woman was a threat, but with Akatsuki showing so much interest in Naruto he felt the need to be cautious. "Wait Naruto. Miss, would you mind identifying yourself? You're not wearing a hitai ate, but that jacket . . . you have some explaining to do."

She turned to him with a smirk that reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place it. "Let's get these two taken care of first, then we start the explanations, Kakashi-s-san."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her stutter. He nodded and told Sakura to follow them. He still needed to have that _talk_ with her. "Here, give me one of them. No need for you to carry both." He noted that she wasted no time giving him Sasuke while securing Naruto's position on her back. They took off without another word.

They were met by an ANBU member who greeted them and seeing the mystery woman carrying Naruto offered to carry him. The woman declined politely, but the Copy Ninja could see the possessiveness in the woman's eyes before it faded. Oddly enough, Kakashi felt intrigued instead of worried that she declined. He could tell her care for Naruto was genuine, so he decided to watch and see what her next move was.

He still wanted to know why she was wearing a copy of his sensei's signature jacket, but that could wait until his students had received medical attention.

Tsunade greeted them at the hospital, fresh from stabilizing the Akimichi boy after he used his clan's deadly red pepper pill. She smirked at seeing the woman carrying Naruto and Kakashi noticed that it matched the smirk the woman wore just a little while ago. He wondered what connection the two women might have before bowing smoothly, even with Sasuke on his back. "Hokage-sama, the mission was a success. Uchiha Sasuke has been returned to the village and all the Sound agents were eliminated."

Tsunade nodded at the Jounin, "Good Kakashi, take him in and have him checked out by Shizune then placed in restraints. Be sure to check the seal on his cursed mark."

Kakashi nodded and swore to himself that he'd find out who that woman was. He barely noticed the quiet kunoichi following him.

* * *

Sakura looked at Tsunade and wondered why she wasn't moving to help Naruto immediately like she normally would have. It was a bit disconcerting when someone didn't act as you always remembered them, and that smug grin wasn't helping matters either. She looked at the older woman in the eye and recognized satisfaction there. Feeling the boy on her back stir, Sakura knew that whatever was up with Tsunade could be solved later. "He needs medical attention. Where's an open room?"

"Follow me, Uzumaki-san," said Tsunade with that smug grin growing by the second.

Sakura was sure it would split the blond's cheeks if she kept it up. She shook her head in mild exasperation for her old teacher's many quirks. Then she realized what Tsunade called her, and while she was very used to being called an Uzumaki, Tsunade couldn't know that was her current name. '_What's that old hag up to?_' dominated her thought as she followed the Godaime Hokage into the hospital to take care of the chibi version of her husband.

Soon chibi-Naruto was on a bed and his torn jacket and black undershirt were removed and Sakura immediately started a diagnostic jutsu to find the extent of his injuries. Her medic mind set took over and she quickly found healing bones and muscles and did what she could to help the process.

It took her a moment to realize why his skin had chakra burns. It had been some time since her Naruto had possessed Kyuubi's chakra. The damage was quickly taken care of.

Sakura looked at his right shoulder and could see the flesh reknitting itself back together to the point that there wouldn't even be a scar from the Chidori wound Sasuke had given him in the Valley of the End. The chibi Haruno had opened the barely healed wound while causing the boy more pain than just physical.

After she was sure that he was in no discomfort and sleeping peacefully, Sakura turned to Tsunade and considered what this Hokage thought of her right then. When she saw the stupid grin from earlier gone and in its place an appraising look that reminded her of her first days as a medic-in-training. Sakura suppressed a shiver at that harsh training she'd gone through under the Slug Sannin.

Tsunade studied the woman in front of her, and weighed what she knew with what she suspected and couldn't quite connect the two images. "Let's go to my office. There are a few things I need to ask you." The woman nodded and went over to the closed window and opened it up. Tsunade asked, "What are you doing?"

Sakura tensed and remembered that Tsunade wasn't a fan of jumping out of windows. "Unless you want to be stopped a dozen times before we leave the floor, we should take this route."

Tsunade sniffed indignantly but seeing the wisdom in her words leapt out the window sensing the woman following her. She then realized she hadn't asked her name, distracted as she had been by critically injured ninja and her own suspicious of her identity.

They were in her office with in a few minutes and Tsunade leveled a firm stare at the woman in front of her. "Now, who are you?"

Sakura smiled at the woman her husband considered a mother. "Okay, I'm not sure how to explain what's going on, but you may want Jiraiya or Shizune here."

Tsunade weighted what the woman said and decided to give it shot. It was a gamble after all and she was, among other things, a compulsive gambler. "Let's wait and see what you have to say, then I'll call in who needs to know. Though first I am obligated to ask, what are your intentions for my village?"

"I give you my word that I have no desire to harm anyone in this village, and once I'm done you will see why."

Tsunade studied her and nodded for her to begin.

Sakura let out a relieved breath, "First off, how did you know my name was Uzumaki?"

Tsunade supposed that it was a fair question and there was no harm in telling her the reason. "I guessed, given the information when you woke up, that you were Uzumaki Kushina."

Sakura first thought it was a normal reaction since she and her daughter were almost identical, but quickly realized that Tsunade was referring to Narutos' mother. "I am not Uzumaki Kushina, but there is a connection between us. She's my mother-in-law."

* * *

A red-haired young teenager moaned as she tried to lift herself off the hard ground. Her blurred vision only saw greens and browns and she thought she was in the forests around Konoha. A damp cool rag helped to dull her headache slightly.

"Don't worry Kora-chan. You're safe."

Kora blinked and in a grudging voice, "Minato-san?" She smirked slightly at her brother's groan. He always hated it when she acted formal with him. "Where are we?"

"It looks like home, but there some things missing." Though she couldn't see him and his voice gave nothing away, she knew he was worried about something.

"Like what?"

"Dad's face on the monument for starters."

Kora blanched at the statement. It didn't seem possible for it to be gone. "Was it destroyed or something? How's the rest of the village?"

"No, that's the weird thing. I checked the area it should have been in, but there were no blast marks or rubble. It was like it had never been there to begin with." Now he sounded tired and confused, but it comforted her to know that her lunk of a brother didn't know what was up. That meant it was most likely right up her alley. Their mutually blue eyes met and she smirked.

"Well, let's go see what's up, shall we?"

"Okay, but we should shift first."

"Why?"

"It looks like home, but it doesn't feel the same. More peaceful, but not as nice. Plus this is where the kitchen's supposed to be."

"How long have we been here?" Kora asked as she focused on her Uzumaki seal and activated her disguise. Long red hair condensed to short cropped dark green and her eyes shifted from their bright blue to a muted grey. She may not respect her brother's brain, but as an active jounin his survival instincts were excellent. She looked down at her clothes, and saw she was still in her pajamas. "You want me to walk around in my pjs?"

A red eyed Minato with long brown haired handed her a bag of clothes and she put on a traditional librarian's outfit. Kora growled at him, "Very funny, Uzumaki-san."

He grinned and shrugged, "Well, it does fit you, doesn't it?"

She huffed and looked at him, "How much do we know about what happened?"

He sighed and looked around, "Someone broke in and argued with Dad, but something happened. There was a chakra spike and a flash of light. I activated my barrier and grabbed you, but we got sucked through some sort of tunnel to here. You passed out and I scouted around and got you some clothes."

She glanced at his family jacket. He wouldn't need to worry about clothes since he never changed when he got home from his last mission. She smothered the jealous twinge that arose when she pondered the garment and strode toward the village. He trotted along side at an easy pace with that annoying grin slathered on his lips.

They easily slipped into the village proper and she wasn't surprised by their first stop.

She was however surprised to see a much younger Ayame-obachan smiling across the counter welcoming them and asking their orders. Kora stammered for miso while Minato easily asked for pork and a beef for later. Kora watched as a woman she'd known her whole life did the same task she'd always done, but it felt so off that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

This wasn't home.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Minato's foreign red eyes convey his sympathy, and she resisted the awful urge to hug him. A deep cleansing breath helped her get back her control as they ate their ramen in silence. She noticed that Minato wasn't eating at his usual supersonic speed, but at a much more human speed.

That terrified her more than seeing the young Ayame.

After paying and leaving the stand, they ran into a girl a little younger than Minato in a nice orange shirt and white pants. She reminded Kora of all their father's fangirls back home who tried to emulate the Rokudaime. She even has the cheek tattoos that had faded on the former Jinchuuriki. Kora nodded but looked around and tuned out the flirting her shameless brother engaged in. She did notice how many people seemed wary of them and tried to keep from getting too close.

She finally got tired of her brother trying to steal another girl's heart and nudged him none too gently in the ribs. He glanced at her and turned back to the girl. "Sorry Natsumi-chan, but my sister and I are new here and need to see the Hokage about living arrangements. I hope to see you again sometime."

The girl gave a bright smile. "Okay, Minato-kun. I still want to see your technique. Sounds like fun!"

"You got it. How about we meet here around 1900 for dinner?"

"Awesome! See you then."

Kora felt slightly nauseated at her brother's constant attempts at flirting. She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to see Tsunade-baachan, if the fifth head on the monument was a clear indication of who was currently in power.

As they waited, Kora looked at her pervert of a brother and noticed that he had a blank look on his face. "Worried about meeting baa-chan again?"

He shook his head. "It might look like her, but the feel of her chakra is off. Feels more like we're going to see her sister."

Kora studied him for a moment before returning to her own troubled thoughts.

_'What's going on here?' _

"He actually said that?" Tsunade asked with a hitch in her voice. She had spent an hour listening to Uzumaki Sakura talk of her life, her career, and her husband. The part that struck her the hardest was the photo album the woman had pulled from her coat. Tsunade knew Jiraiya would love to see it, both the clothing as well as the book.

"You were without a doubt the biggest maternal presence in his life. He meant it," replied Sakura. She felt tired from everything that had happened. Her impromptu trip and hospital stay, what happened with her and Naruto's younger selves, and now the emotional conversation with her old teacher. Her eyelids were crying for relief but she doggedly held on so she got this done.

Tsunade saw the other woman's eyes droop so she closed the book and looked at the proud wife and mother before her. She felt pride at having had a hand in molding this woman into who she was. Though she also wondered why this Sakura advised her to not teach the young Haruno. "That's enough for now. Get some rest. Hokage's orders, Doctor."

Sakura nodded with an exhausted smile turned to leave. When she got to the door, she turned and asked, "Where will I be staying? I'm guessing my home hasn't been built yet."

Tsunade grinned and tossed her a key. "Since you're technically a Namikaze by marriage, you can stay at the family homestead."

Sakura's fatigue fought a losing battle to her curiosity, "I didn't know there was a Namikaze estate. Naruto had to build our house himself."

Tsunade just shrugged, "Don't know, but Minato had a nice little place for his wife and future kids. Naruto will inherit it when he makes Chuunin. Just enjoy it for now and worry about the time-space mechanics when you're not dead tired." The gruffness in her voice was contrasted by the concern in her face.

Sakura just nodded and quietly slipped away. She hoped this would make more sense in tomorrow morning.

Tsunade leaned back in here chair. She smirked as she let the tears trickle down her cheeks. "Mom . . . I like the sound of that."

* * *

Hello again. Sorry it's taken so long, I got side tracked by other projects. Hope you've enjoyed reading this. School is taking a lot of my time (O-chem is kicking my trash all over the place). Please review. It helps the updates come faster. 


	3. More Strands

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is just for fun and not for profit.

Summary: An attack by an old enemy leads Naruto and his family on a new adventure. Part of the Dreams Universe Futurefic NaruSaku

To help keep things straight I'm posting this list of names of Naruto and Sakura's kids are with their ages.

Naruto & Sakura- 38

Kushina- 19

Minato- 16 (almost 17)

Kora- 14

Sarutobi- 12

Tsunade- 10

* * *

**Scattered Dreams**

_Minato & Kora_

He bowed respectfully to the blond woman sitting in front of him. She certainly looked like his beloved grandmother, but her chakra was different. If he wasn't an Uzumaki and trained under the most rigorous (but fun!) methods, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Playing hide and go seek with his family turned into a lesson in chakra sensing, and Minato was the best of his brother and sisters at it.

"Hello Hokage-sama, we are travelers from the sea. My name is Uzumaki Kaikou and my sister here is-"

"Uzumaki Kora, Hokage-san," interrupted Kora. They had agreed he would do the talking, but she still felt the need to assert herself in front of their sort of grandma. She was the only one of the Uzumaki clan that wasn't a ninja (Sarutobi wasn't technically a ninja, but he still worked with them) and she felt the need to make herself heard. Sometimes it felt like it was just her Dad who listened.

Minato sent her a puzzled look, but switched quickly back to "diplomat mode" and finished their tragic story as two orphans who had hid for years in a seaside cave and were now looking for any connection to their past. It was flimsy, but it would help them find info on their father faster than anything else they could come up with on the way to the Tower.

Minato looked at the familiar face and felt the strain of seeing that dear face and not go hug her, like he did every time he saw her as a child. He had to remind himself _again_ that this wasn't his Baa-chan. She wouldn't sneak him sweets or tell him embarrassing stories about his parents. He had to treat this like his undercover missions or he'd never keep that childish longing from his face.

"Hokage-sama, we ask your permission to stay in your village and look for any family that might have ended up here. Is that alright?"

Tsunade looked at the two and knew something was off. While it wasn't impossible that any Uzumakis survived the destruction of Whirlpool Country, it seemed suspicious that two would show up at such a crucial time for her resident Uzumaki. Akastuki or Orochimaru were both gunning for the blond Jinchuuriki, so she felt the need to be careful.

* * *

_Sarutobi_

Uzumaki Sarutobi took after his Dad in his unpredictable nature. He completed the Ninja Academy and got permission to do his own thing. Fighting was never a love of his like his sisters or Minato-niisan, though he could hold his own. No his love in regards to the ninja art came from the tools and toys ninjas had. Nothing made him happier than taking something apart and figuring out how it worked.

He learned early not to do that with his Mom's kitchen appliances.

Yesterday he woke up to a nightmare. Not _from _a nightmare like most kids, but _to _one. The sky was red and violet, with angry black clouds adding to the horror. He was sitting in a ruined land. Buildings showed the signs of fierce weather over years of time, and two jagged peaks rose above everything.

He scrounged for food from the few trees he could find. Never had he been so glad that his parents had forced him to the Academy. The practical knowledge it gave him helped him to stay comfortable in this nightmare.

Not that he hadn't been teased there. Having white hair when you're young made you a target for teasing, even if you are the Hokage's son and could pound any of the little snots into the ground without breaking a sweat. Sarutobi was glad when Dad finally let him pull a small prank on those brats.

Shaking his head, he reminded himself that he needed to think about the present. He still hadn't seen anything alive, even the few trees seemed half-dead. It was all the creepier with no bugs chirping, no birds singing, no dogs barking and howling, and no chakra filling the area. That more than anything made him scared. He was completely alone in this nightmare.

No Mom or Dad to comfort him. No onii-san or oneechan to make the fear go away. Not even bratty Tsu-chan to keep his mind off things.

So he did what he did best, break things down to understand them. Then he'd find some solutions.

Maybe that would keep his mind off how everything looked like it was going to gobble him up.

* * *

_Sakura_

The Namikaze residence was a modest yet large house. Seemed Naruto's parents were planning on having more than one kid. She knew that Naruto would have been a great big brother, given how he'd always treated Konohamaru and his friends. It brought a pang to her heart as it made her think of her own children. She hoped they were alright.

Sakura took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on her present situation. After a light breakfast she took off to see how chibi-Naruto was doing, and make sure no little pink-haired Sasuke-fangirls caused him anymore pain.

Her Naruto had taught her how to do the Hiraishin no Jutsu. One moment she was standing in the Namikaze home, the next she was beside chibi Naruto's hospital bed.

Just in time to see him try to escape through the window.

He gaped at the strangely familiar woman who mysteriously showed up. He felt fine and decided to check himself out. He knew Tsunade-baachan and Shizune-neechan didn't want to leave yet, but he needed his morning ramen! The hospital food was too bland for his taste.

"You want ramen?" Sakura asked with a knowing smile.

Naruto stared in wonder at her. How did she know? Who was she?

"Well, let me see how you're healing. If you're doing okay, I'll take you to get some, okay?" she asked with her hands already glowing with the green colored medic chakra. He nodded slowly and she scanned for any problems. When she found that there were none, she nodded to the boy and turned to the door. "Seems you're okay, but we'll still take it easy, okay?"

Naruto was wondering what was going on. He absently wondered if he should be worried, but when she took his hand to lead out, he basked in the comforting feel it had. There was one question he just had to ask, "Who are you?"

Sakura smiled again and answered, "You can call me Barahime (Rose Princess, I think), Naruto-kun."

* * *

_Minato and Kora_

"Figured out what's going on yet?" Minato asked his younger sister.

She frowned at him. "I have an idea, but I'll need to stop by the Library to be sure." It'd feel good to be back in her sanctuary.

"Of course. But where is it? I couldn't find it earlier." he said with a slump of his shoulders.

"What's got you so depressed?" she asked snidely.

"Whenever you have a problem, you always go to the Library."

"So, it's got a lot of information. That helps me solve my problems."

Minato shook his head. "You still don't get it."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" she shrieked. She angrily wondered where HE got off lecturing her about understanding things. He was denser than lead at times and everything she'd heard from her friends stated he didn't care about anyone but himself.

"A bit louder why don't you. I don't think Iwa heard you clear enough," he said calmly, using his finger to mock-clean his ear out.

Kora huffed at him and stormed off. That arrogant jerk! Acting all superior to her! He always did stuff like that. Her feet followed a familiar path and she looked up expecting to see her library in front of her.

She saw a clothing shop.

"I told you its not here. One sec, I'll ask them," Minato murmured behind her.

Kora stared in shock as she looked around and realized that she hadn't mistakenly walked somewhere else. Her library was gone! If the shock of the moment hadn't clouded her mind, this would have clued her in on the situation.

Minato came up behind her. "Kora-chan, the only library around here is a few blocks away. But you should brace yourself."

Kora silently followed her older brother.

* * *

_Naruto_

Darkness was all around him. It'd been a long time since he'd felt this tired. It had been the last time he'd given his kids chocolate. Even with Kage Bushins it took forever to track them all down.

He could sense people around him. Most felt familiar so he didn't feel worried. He just wished he could feel his kid's chakra. He'd felt Sakura's a bit as well as a few others he recognized, but there was one that made him anxious. It reminded him a bit of the Kyuubi's chakra.

What really worried him was that at one time he had felt _two _signatures that matched the fox.

As soon as he had enough chakra to move, he'd get some answers. For now he'd just rest.

* * *

_Sarutobi_

After the first couple of days, Sarutobi felt the first sign of chakra since he'd arrived. He didn't care if it was friendly or not, but he was going to find out what it was. As he got closer he realized that what he sensed was in fact several chakras. Some even felt familiar to the boy.

He crept slowly, just like when his family played ninja games and he was it. The white haired child peaked over a small hill and was confronted with a snarling hound not two feet from his face. What really surprised him was that he thought he recognized the animal.

"Easy Pakkun! Just a brat after all. Thought **he** sent one of his spawn after us."

Sarutobi looked up and realized why the dog looked familiar. Hatake Kakashi was a common visitor to the Uzumaki home, and his ninja hounds loved playing with Naruto's kids as much as the kids enjoyed seeing their "Ero-ojisan."

And standing right behind the summon dog, who was usually much nicer, was the silver haired elite jounin Sarutobi knew so well. He looked almost the same, except there was no warmth in his visible eye or in his voice.

"Ero-ojisan?"

A narrow coal black eye focused on two wide slate grey eyes. Sarutobi could feel the killer intent coming off the man in front of him, and it took everything he had to not break down and cry.

"Oi Kakashi, stop harassing the kid." Sarutobi looked confused at the young woman coming up behind Kakashi. Her blond hair was in a single long braid, going down to her lower back. Those dancing brown eyes, so alive with energy, made Kakashi back down from his visual assault. But that irritating smirk he'd know anywhere.

"Tsu-chan?"

All three had similar thoughts at this point, with slight differences in vocabulary.

_'What the heck is going on!?'_

* * *

_Tsunade_

Tsunade wasn't having a good day at the Academy. First, Saru-niichan pulled a prank on her and left her in the middle of nowhere during the night. Second, she couldn't find her way home and Daddy never found her. Then she had to go to the Academy under a Henge so people wouldn't stare at her. Well, no more than usual.

Everyone told her she looked just like her Baa-chan, though she never met her. The Godaime Hokage had died about the time she'd been born, so she just had stories and pictures to remember her by. Though, sometimes she felt a deep connection with the woman beyond physical similarities. Like she knew her somehow.

Anyway, Uzumaki Tsunade was generally a happy girl who loved her family and did her best to annoy Saru-kun. Daddy had to step in a couple times to keep things from getting too serious. She just wish he'd hurry up and find her already. Or Mommy or someone, but Daddy was the one to find her usually.

As she took her seat in her class, Tsunade realized that she didn't know the other students. She even got asked by one boy why she was there. How come no one recognized her.

She got an even bigger shock when Iruka-ojisan walked in. He had fewer scars now and had hair, but he looked just liked her Daddy's old photos of the first person to acknowledge him as a person. For the first time since she woke up, a sliver of doubt that this wasn't some elaborate prank entered her heart.

The sliver grew when he asked her to introduce herself to the class and say where she came from.

"Um, hi . . . my name is Uzumaki Tsunade and I have no idea what's going on."

The class stopped laughing once they realized she wasn't joking.

* * *

_Minato and Kora_

"No . . ." Kora muttered in abject rejection of what reality was presenting her. Her glorious library didn't exist and all that was left was this plain building that made her want to vomit. "This can't be happening . . . gotta be a bad dream." She looked at Minato. "That'd explain why you're here and not someone better."

"I assure you Kora, if anyone is having the bad dream, it's me."

"Fine then we're in some sort of parallel dimension where everything is different than how we know it." Kora snapped at her brother.

Minato's face scrunched inward the way their Dad's did when he was in intense thought. "What- like in the mangas?"

The thought seemed to calm the girl. "Yes! Just like a manga! Where one of Dad's old enemies attacked in the dark of night and sent us to alternate dimension as his revenge. And any time now I'll meet some handsome guy who'll fall hopelessly in love with me. Yes, yes that's exactly what'll happen. . ."

Minato stared in worry as his younger sister went deeper and deeper into her little fantasies. He sighed then reached over and flicked her forehead with his forefinger. "You done wallowing in fantasy enough to face reality? I'm hungry and I told Natsumi in ten minutes."

Kora rubbed her forehead. "Yes, wouldn't want you to be late for your date." Her stomach growled and she lowered her head and followed her brother to the familiar sight of Ichiraku Ramen. Now the old chef was there as well as Dad's fangirl. Actually as Kora looked at her, she realized that the girl actually did remind her a bit of Dad. The blue eyes had the same warmth his always did.

Alternate reality . . . differing timelines . . . endless possibilities . . . Kora's train of thought derailed and she took a closer look at the girl talking with Minato. One little chromosome . . . She needed more information!

"Pardon me, but I don't think I caught your name before," she asked with some semblance of manners.

The girl paused then smiled, "I'm Natsumi, nice to actually meet you Kora-chan!" Her enthusiasm matched the stories everyone told about her Dad.

"Um, what's your family name?" Kora asked with some trepidation.

"Oh! Sorry, my full name is Uzumaki Natsumi!" Big smile, fox-like slits for eyes . . .

Minato spoke up at this point, "Really! We're Uzumakis too! We might be related!"

The blond's whole face lit up at the suggestion. "Cousin!" she cried happily, capturing them both in a hug.

Minato got into it easily, "Cousin!" He glanced at Kora and she could see he wanted her to join in, but the growing lump in her stomach only let her manage a weak smile.

* * *

Well, here is the next installment of Scattered Dreams. Hope you've enjoyed it, so please review and give me you thought, complaints, ideas, threats, etc. In case you couldn't guess, I'm a little starved on reviews. I will thank Tama Saga for the wonderful reviews as well as the inspiring suggestions.

Winged Fox should be updated in two weeks. Have a nice day.


	4. Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is just for fun and not for profit.

Summary: An attack by an old enemy leads Naruto and his family on a new adventure. Part of the Dreams Universe Futurefic NaruSaku

To help keep things straight I'm posting this list of names of Naruto and Sakura's kids are with their ages.

Naruto & Sakura- 38

Kushina- 19

Minato- 16 (almost 17)

Kora- 14

Sarutobi- 12

Tsunade- 10

**Scattered Dreams**

_Unknown location_

_**Pain was all he knew. **_

_**It filled his body and was his world.**_

_**The only thing he knew was that there was another who would feel his pain.**_

_**The man with the blue eyes.**_

* * *

_Minato and Kora_

"Well, shall we get started?" Minato asked Natsumi with a hungry grin.

"Sure. How're we doing this?" Natsumi asked.

Kora looked on as her brother was talking with a girl who could be an alternate form of their father. It was just like in that issue of '_Slippers' _when the main hero met an evil female version of himself! Kora narrowed her eyes and glared at this Natsumi again.

Her easy smile could hide some malicious intent she had for Minato, and he'd walk right into it like the sucker he was! She had to rescue him from this manipulative woman!

Minato glanced at his sister and wondered why she was mad all of a sudden.

Natsumi was wondering why they weren't eating yet. She was getting hungry.

Minato turned to the stand and ordered a large miso ramen. He looked at the girls and Natsumi happily ordered two bowls of pork, while Kora asked for a bowl of beef. Minato sat himself down in the middle of the stand's seats. The girls sat on either side of him and while they waited for the ramen to arrive Minato started giving Natsumi some contest rules.

"Okay, in our family we work on hand speed and coordination while eating. The goal is to eat as fast as possible without spilling the food. Kora and I've been doing this for years so we're pretty good. Want to try?"

Natsumi grinned cheekily and raised her arm in a victory gesture. "Ha! You bet. No one can beat me when it comes to ramen."

"Really? Care to make a wager than?" Minato asked slyly.

"Like what?" Natsumi narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Whoever finishes last picks up the bill for everyone."

"You got it." They shook hands and Natsumi started getting visions of free ramen running through her head.

Kora just watched her suspiciously, checking for any sign of treachery. Of course, her stomach was getting louder with the delicious scent of beef ramen wafting to her nose.

Forget suspicion, there was ramen to be eaten.

* * *

_Kushina_

Uzumaki Kushina wasn't having a good day. Being in prison wasn't her idea of a good time.

Especially when everybody had Konoha hitai-ate, but nobody she recognized or vice versa.

As a medic, she knew when her body needed rest, so she regained her strength and learned what she could.

It seemed a war was going on, though the last war she knew of was when Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri decided to destroy Konoha after her father was made Hokage. He led his village and its allies in pushing the other villages back. Peace, as much as ninjas ever enjoy, was restored.

But she was tired of information gathering, and the need to pound something was getting stronger.

She was after all her mother's daughter. And walls of stone might as well have been tissue paper for all it would hold her. A flick of her finger and she enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Hokage Monument.

And about two dozen Chuunin poised to attack. It seemed her frustration now had a target.

* * *

_Sarutobi_

After the initial shock, introductions were made. Sarutobi found that the people claimed to be his Uncle Kakashi and Grandma Tsuande. Though when he got the basic explanation of what was going on, he wondered if this wasn't all one bad dream brought on by Kora-neechan's cooking.

"So you're saying that my dad was taken over by the Kyuubi and destroyed the village?!" exclaimed the young Uzumaki. The woman who looked like his little sister was in fact her namesake, the Godaime Hokage. He tilted his head in confusion, "You look younger than you do in the pictures. Is that a new genjutsu?"

Tsunade wasn't sure to be mad or flattered at the young boy's sincere statement. Though his curious face reminded her too much of another young Uzumaki. "I tried to help him, but he ended up saving me from the Kyuubi. In saving me, he made me younger. I stopped trying to figure out how years ago."

The two talked for hours, mostly Tsunade trying to figure out who he was, as the little group of fifty people crept through the barren terrain. They were made up of what remained of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Most other nations were in the same state. Kyuubi-Naruto was full of demonic rage and human desires.

Tsunade kept the worst as vague as possible, seeing how innocent the kid was.

No telling how a good kid like Sarutobi would react to the monstrous "children" Kyuubi had spawned here.

* * *

_Tsunade_

The little girl was taken from the class she was in and taken to the Hokage's Tower, to let the Hokage figure out what was going on. She thought it was a great idea, her Daddy would make everything alright.

How surprised she was when she saw an old man sitting in her Daddy's chair and wearing the Hokage robes and hat.

"You're not my Dad." Her matter of fact tone surprised those listening. She heard someone laughing and looked to find a woman with hair just like hers covering her mouth with her hand. Little Tsunade didn't like being laughed at. "STOP LAUGHING AT ME! SARUTOBI-NIISAN IF THIS IS ONE OF YOUR PRANKS I'M GOING TO HIT YOU SO HARD. . ."

The laughing woman just laughed harder and pointed at the old man, who looked like he was about to have a heart attack, "S-s-sensei (snort) from father to brother. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Tsunade this isn't a laughing matter."

"Of course not/it is." The two blondes answered at the same time. The little angry kunoichi in training glared at the older woman and finally noticed that she looked like the pictures of the woman she'd been named after.

"Who are you oba-chan?" she asked innocently.

The older woman huffed and drew herself up, "I am Senju Tsunade."

"Aren't you dead?"

Now it was Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi's turn to laugh at his student's shocked face.

* * *

_Sakura_

Ramen had saved her marriage on more than one occasion. Uzumaki Sakura had learned that the best time to pick Naruto's mind was when he was gorging himself on mass quantities of ramen.

She was glad that it held true with the chibi she was subtly interrogating. Unfortunately, that hadn't helped her find out why he liked the pink haired little #&. All she got was "Cause she's Sakura-chan."

It wasn't that she hated the younger version of herself, she just wasn't right for chibi Naruto. Sakura knew her own faults quite well, having given years of thought to them with a near perfect memory and knew how she would have reacted to the scene of Naruto and Sasuke's return as it happened here.

She would have hugged those boys until ANBU pried her off.

She might not have gotten over her little crush for Sasuke by then, but she at least considered Naruto a friend. Hitting him for keeping a promise she had him make was insane.

Maybe she should take a peek into her chibi's mind- just to see how it worked. Her Naruto's mind was guarded against intrusion . . . her Naruto. For the first time since waking here did she realize that she might never see him again. Or their children, or anyone from her home.

Her ruminations were interrupted by the arrival of a certain one-eyed jounin who she'd hoped to avoid.

"Naruto, I didn't think Tsunade-sama would have let you out so soon. You should be resting," said Kakashi to his shortest student.

"It's all right Hatake-san, I cleared him to leave," interjected Sakura. She wasn't about to let anyone, even her old sensei, do anything to make her charge upset.

"And your name was?" asked Kakashi casually. All his attempts at finding out the woman's identity had been met with frustration and he was determined to get some answers.

Sakura looked him in the eye. She trusted Tsunade, and didn't know if Kakashi was in on the situation. So she decided to have fun with it. "I'm crushed Kakashi-kun, you don't even remember little old me? We were so close too. The ramen eating machine here reminded me of someone dear to me, so I wanted to help him. How is his training going?"

Kakashi was taken aback by the question and narrowed his eye slightly. "Haven't had much time for training recently."

"Such a shame. He's probably got a lot of untapped potential this one."

Kakashi wondered why the mystery woman was acting like he should know her. He was sure that a woman like this would stick out in his memory. Silent alarms were ringing inside his head. He looked at Naruto, who was oblivious to all but his food, and decided that he needed to get the two apart.

"Naruto why don't you come with me for a bit? You still need to report to Tsunade-sama about what happened yesterday."

Naruto set his food down and wondered why the nice lady and Kakashi-sensei were staring hard at each other.

The boy wondered if she was an old girlfriend or something.

* * *

_Kushina_

After dodging another slow (to her) attack from the chuunin chasing her, Kushina made another man-filled crater to go with the dozen or so she'd already made. She knew that her family was basically a powerhouse clan but this was getting ridiculous. No one had even landed a decent blow yet. Her dad expected more from his ninja.

She had picked up some things as she moved about the village, and the most disturbing was the fact that the Hokage mountain had only three heads on it. She didn't know what was going on, but all she wanted was some good food and a nice bed to sleep in.

Prison cells were far below her usual standard of living.

A yellow blur caused her to leap backwards. "Finally someone I recognize! That you Mina-kun?"

The yellow blur stopped and looked at her incredulously. "Who are you and how on Earth do you know my name?"

Kushina took a closer look and noticed small differences between this man and her little brother, other than a small but noticeable age difference. He actually looked just like her Grandpa's pictures when he was made Hokage. Her head was started to hurt by all the mismatched data it was trying to put into order.

Namikaze Minato looked at the young pink-haired woman in apprehension. The familiar address as much as her skill was off-setting. She fought similar to Tsunade-sama but with some Uchiha style of all things in the mix. "Well?"

"I'm a ninja of Konoha. Why was I imprisoned?"

"I don't really have to answer that do I?"

Kushina narrowed her eyes. The polite approach wasn't going to work, so now it was time for the Uzumaki approach.

"If that's the way you want to be-Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

A score of exact replicas of Kushina appeared in a cloud of smoke and started Shunshining their way to different positions in the Village.

Minato just stared in puzzlement at the tactic. He grumbled, "Too much like that tomboy Kushina."

* * *

_Naruto_

He could feel his body's functions returning to normal and he was ready to get out of wherever he was and get some answers. He had heard voices he knew very well, but their chakras were different, subtly but still different.

Plus there was the Kyuubi chakras that he'd felt. He was still trying to figure out why there were two distinct signatures for the Kyuubi, but only one ever came near him, so he couldn't look closer.

That one had a remarkably female voice. Another thing that confused the Hokage.

"I know you're awake. I have some questions I need to ask you, whoever you are."

Speaking of the devil, she was apparently better at sensing people than he'd hoped. He opened his eyes and looked where the voice came from. A lovely young woman in crimson, black, and white kunoichi gear was standing next to his bed with a frown that was almost a pout on her vulpine face. He didn't miss the five foxtails wriggling behind her and wondered out loud, "Well you're certainly cuter than the last Kyuubi I met."

He was somewhat pleased to see her blush.

* * *

Well, there's the newest chapter of Scattered Dreams. Is anybody actually reading anymore? I got zero reviews and not a whole lot of hits, so I would like so feedback, even if it's to say you hate it. Gimme something people!

Winged Fox should be out this next week, barring any unforeseen delalys (injury, illness, alien invasion, that sort of thing).


	5. Q&A with some miscommunication

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is just for fun and not for profit.

Summary: An attack by an old enemy leads Naruto and his family on a new adventure. Part of the Dreams Universe Futurefic NaruSaku

To help keep things straight I'm posting this list of names of Naruto and Sakura's kids are with their ages. I am also listing where in the Narutoverse they've been sent to.

Naruto – 38, FemKyuubi + harem world

Sakura - 38, Young Sakura hits Naruto though he brings Sasuke back

Kushina – 19, 1 month before Kakashi Gaiden

Minato - 16 (almost 17), FemNaruto world

Kora – 14, same world as Minato

Sarutobi – 12, Demon Naruto world

Tsunade – 10, Old Tsunade raising Naruto

**Scattered Dreams**

_Naruto_

To her credit, the female Kyuubi in front of Naruto didn't stay fazed long by his statement. After about five seconds of gawking at him, she regained her composure and eyed him critically.

"How many other Kyuubi no Kitsunes have you met?" she asked archly. She drew herself to her full height, though still a few inches shorter than Naruto, which he took advantage of as he smoothly slipped off the bed and mimicked her tactic. He also put on the face that his children always dreaded- the stoic mask of emotionless ice with just a hint of killer intent leaking out at her.

His eyebrow rose fractionally as she seemed to shrink and seemed to become more pitiful and weak. He had to admit the slight tremble in her lower lip and the barely there tears in her eyes were good touches. If his little Tsu-chan didn't pull this routine every time she got in trouble than he might have been fooled, but unfortunately for this Kyuubi, his Tsu-chan got into trouble almost as often as he did at that age.

"Look we can do the role-play another time, but I need answers now and I'm guessing you'd like some as well. How about we alternate the Q&A so we're not here all day?" he asked her with a comforting smile, letting an aura on calm surround him. It did seem to work, as her stance became relaxed and more than a tad arrogant. '_Just like Kushina-chan_' he thought with mixed pride and pain.

"Sure old man, we'll play your game, but I'll go first. Gotta problem with that?" Her insolent tone just made him grin and shake his head. Her attitude reminded him of a more than a dozen kunoichis, both foreign and Konoha native, that used the same method to get people riled up. Shame she was up against the master of the art.

'_Let's see how a female Kyuubi matches up against the Uzumaki clan women,_' he thought with a feral glint in his eye. He doubted she had anything on the Sakura/Hinata tag—team mission requests, now those two knew how to twist your mind and other insides in knots.

"Who are you? I mean name, rank, origin - the whole nine yards." She narrowed her slitted crimson eyes. He could tell she was on guard against any tricks. He didn't intend to pull any, since he really wanted those answers.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I am the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato in Hi no Kuni. I am the former Jinchuriki of a male Kyuubi no Kitsune, who tried to devour my soul when I was eighteen. I defeated him using a new seal I developed and later handed him over to be sent back wherever demons come from. Now child, who are you?"

After she scraped her jaw off the ground, a long exchange of information began.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Tsunade_

"What do you mean 'aren't you dead?'? I'm right here!" questioned a very angry Senju Tsunade.

"I'm just telling you what my parents told me! And don't shout at me Baa-chan!" shouted an equally angry, though much younger, Uzumaki Tsunade.

The two blond females glared at the other for a moment. Then the Sandaime got a hold of his laughter and decided to do his usual peacemaker job.

"And who are your parents, young lady?"

Usumaki Tsunade – also known as Tsu-chan to her family – turned to him with a still angry look, "My Dad's Hokage and my Mom is the best Medic Nin in the whole Village." They looked at her a bit longer, but no names seemed to be coming out.

"Hate to break it to you kid, but I'm the best Medic Nin in Konoha, and I know I didn't have you," smirked the older Tsunade.

"I told you, you've been dead as long as I've been alive. My Mom was your apprentice, and my Dad's Hokage." Tsunade didn't like it when people called her a liar.

Older Tsunade and Sarutobi exchanged surprised glances, then stared at her for a long time.

"What?" Really, the girl was getting freaked out by the whole experience: dead people who weren't dead, her Dad wasn't Hokage, and people thinking she was a liar. She stopped her inner rant when she noticed the two legendary (supposed to be dead) ninjas standing a lot closer and studying her features.

"Well the hair's the right color . . . and her temper, especially with me, sure matches hers . . . Sarutobi-sensei, do you think it's possible?" Older Tsunade asked. Her face reminded the younger girl of when her Mom ate some of Kora's "special" cookies (aka, carbon disks) and didn't want the disgust to show.

"It is possible, but why now?" the aged Hokage turned to the smaller Tsunade. "Young lady, how old are you?"

"I'm ten. What're you talking about Oji-san?" Both of the adults smiled at the curious look on her face. It reminded them both of another would-be ninja dear to them both.

"Oh nothing, now the lady here and I need to talk about some boring things for awhile. Have you eaten yet?" His kind chuckle at her stomach's response made her blush in embarrassment. He stuck his head out the door and spoke to someone, but Tsu-chan couldn't understand what it was. He opened the door and gestures for her to leave. She found a chunnin she didn't recognize standing there.

"I'm going to take you to the cafeteria," the young man said.

"Okay," Tsu-chan let her hunger guide her.

After she had left, the two older ninjas huddled together and the Hokage spoke quietly.

"Find out everything you can, by any means. Make sure to ask Shizune if she knows _anything_ about this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Naruto_

"So you're bonded with my counterpart, and the of you are engaged?" asked Naruto.

"Yes"

"And he's also engaged to Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Temari, Tenten, and a former Sound ninja named Kin?"

"Yes."

Naruto rubbed his face with both hands. The idea of being married to multiple women caused many reactions: some biological, some psychological. He knew of the Clan Restoration Laws, and while some of the council had recommended he use them (usually these recommendations came from parents of eligible daughters) Naruto was devoted to his family entirely. He did wonder how his counterpart planned to keep them all happy and not bickering for attention.

His family was used to his utilization of Kage Bushin to watch over or spend time with them, but then his Kage Bushins had more personality and power than most ninjas. Half the time he himself forgot if he was the original or just another Kage Bushin. Would those work for seven wives as it had for a wife, a sister, and five children?

"What's he like?" A question that had visited Naruto often once he figured out he wasn't in his own world. The Kyuubi seemed to understand the question, given the slight blush that came to her cheeks.

"My Naruto is a passionate idiot with a big heart and little common sense. He dives in first and forgets to ask any questions. He'd move heaven and earth for any one of us."

"Well, at least that much is same with me. But I am glad to say the idiot part took a nosedive a long time ago. Here take a look at this." He reached into his Uzumaki coat and unsealed a worn book.

"Reading? That is an improvement."

"Check out the author."

She looked and couldn't help the bulging of her eyes as she saw the title and author: Advanced Chakra Particle Theory by Uzumaki Naruto. She numbly flipped through the first few pages, glancing at the man in front of her from time to time. The way the book was broken down was simple enough – physical energies and spiritual energies. From there, the individual particle chapters went in depth on the purpose the individual particle, its use, and possible training methods to better gain more of it. It was simple in format, but even a demon with an innate knowledge of chakra like her was shocked at the information presented in the book. She closed the book and turned to see the searching gaze of her guest looking intensely through the wall to her right.

"Are you all right?"

Naruto blinked as he came back to where he was. He smiled reassuringly at the seemingly young woman across from him. "I thought I could feel my Hinata."

"But that shouldn't be possible. Are you sure you're not feeling our Hinata?"

He nodded thoughtfully, "At first, that's what I thought, but this is through the family seal, and I doubt your Naruto's been giving those out. Actually I doubt he's even made it yet."

Kyuubi looked at him with question clear in her eyes, "Family seal?"

He smiled and began to explain the seal he'd developed to make sure his family would be safe. With Hinata and Sakura's help, he was able to make a multi-layered seal that had several functions: medical, protection, sensing others with the same seal, and a stored Kage Bushin for emergencies (though Kora and Sarutobi like to use them for assistants in their various projects). It was complex with many dummy layers to prevent copying and needed yearly maintenance to keep the healing up to date with the person's health, but overall it had served his family well.

Now he was sure that Hinata and her family were in the same area his house was supposed to be. At a distance he had though it was just Hinata, but upon arriving to the spot he could distiguish the indiviual signitures. He looked to the Kyuubi, "I'm going to check this out." Then in a flash he was gone.

Leaving behind a very perplexed and irritated demon vixen.

When he arrived at the spot, all he could see were trees. His house, the only home his children had ever known, didn't exist here. He could still feel his Hinata and her family's seals, even though the rest of them couldn't be found by any of his rather acute senses.

The old cold ache of loneliness began to seep into him, down to the bones. Talking about not being home was one thing, but this physical evidence of the house he had built never existing felt like a stake in the heart, with a Chouji sized hammer pounding it deeper. His fingers dug into the soil as he tried to pull himself together.

He was dimly aware of the approaching crowd, including his alternate and his fiancés. Time to face the world, meaning this was no time for grief.

The first things he noticed about his alternate were the fox attributes: ears coming out the top of his head, four tails swinging behind him, fangs, slitted eyes, and the exaggerated whisker marks on his cheeks. The irony seemed odd to Naruto, this Fox-Self was what he might have looked like if the Kyuubi had won in their internal battle all those years ago. Naruto checked the chakra in Fox Naruto and wasn't surprised at the vast amount. Not as much as his own, but then Naruto had been Hokage for almost two decades and had gone through tons of training both with his family and friends and on his own.

The next thing he noticed was the Fox's fist coming at his face.

"YOU #$$%$%!"

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Well, there it is. School's been busy and life's been distracting. Got a new story I just started, though this and Winged Fox will be kept going. No worries, they will be completed.

Please review, or leave random comments in any way, shape or form as you deem fit. Flames are welcome - it's getting cold where I'm at.


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